The Unforgiving Prodigal
by JackieStarSister
Summary: A parable. Poe arrives at the Resistance base to learn some shocking news: the general's son came home and they are celebrating his return. "I've served under you for years now. You never gave me so much as a can of blue milk to share with my friends. But this traitor comes home, after everything he's done, and you break open the Corellian wine for him?"


"The Unforgiving Prodigal"

_There are moments when the words don't reach  
There's a grace too powerful to name  
We push away what we can never understand  
We push away the unimaginable_

_~ Lin-Manuel Miranda, "It's Quiet Uptown"_

Poe could tell something unusual was happening when he returned to the Resistance's current base. The whole place was abuzz with activity—though not the kind that he was used to, the kind that followed or preceded an important mission. Everyone seemed excited, and some seemed confused, but there was no urgency or determination, like there would have been if there was some imminent danger. He realized the atmosphere reminded him of the time leading up to Snap Wexley and Karé Kun's wedding—only different, somehow. Not as joyous as they had been then.

He stopped Lieutenant Connix in the hallway. "Kaydel, what's going on?"

She glanced at him and nodded before continuing her stride. "Poe. Good. I'm supposed to brief each officer as they come back, so they can inform the officers and units under them."

Poe walked alongside her. "Okay, so brief me. What's the commotion?"

Connix looked directly at him. "General Organa's son is here."

Poe's eyes widened and he hand out his hand, gesturing for Connix to stop. "What—did you say her _son?_"

"Yes."

"Ben Solo? Alias—"

Connix nodded. "Kylo Ren. Yes."

"We actually managed to capture him?" Poe had thought that someone with Force powers like his could not be captured, let alone safely detained.

"No. He defected and surrendered to the Resistance."

Poe stared. "You're … joking, aren't you? Is this how you joke?"

She looked at him flatly. "I don't joke."

"Then … please explain."

"It wasn't a total surprise," Connix said in her usual, matter-of-fact tone. "Rey found out ahead of time that he was coming. General Organa sensed him when he arrived. I went out with them to meet him before he even reached the base. I hadn't seen the general move so fast since the _Raddus_ attack. He was in pretty bad shape, like he'd been on the run for a while. Rey took his weapon, and then he fell down at the general's feet and said he surrendered, he was sorry for everything he'd done, and was willing to help us."

"And she believed him?"

Connix continued as though Poe had not interrupted. "She completely ignored his speech—"

"Good," Poe said with satisfaction.

"—and hugged and kissed him." For the first time, Connix betrayed some emotion, her voice wavering. "She was crying—I've never seen her cry before—it took us a minute to realize she was crying because she was so happy. Then she turned to me and started relaying orders. 'Get him a spare uniform, the best you can find, and break out the rations we were saving for our next celebration.' That's what all the commotion is about," Connix said, waving her hand at the soldiers passing by with crates and various items. "We're celebrating his homecoming."

Poe gaped openly at the lieutenant. "That can't be right. No—that's _definitely_ not right." He looked around at the people going by so casually, and then back at Connix. "You seriously believe all this?"

"Rey vouched for his intentions. She can probe his mind, and General Organa can sense his emotions. They say he's sincere."

Suddenly, fear and apprehension filled Poe. "Where is he now?"

"In the mess hall. Rey and a few others are watching him."

Poe turned and ran, ignoring Connix when she shouted after him. BB-8 rolled behind as fast as it could.

If everyone was letting their guard down about having the most dangerous Force-user loose on the base, who knows what he might do?

Poe reached the mess hall and stood at the entrance, looking in. A few tables already had food laid out buffet-style, while others were being prepared. In the center of the room, sitting or standing informally in a circle of chairs and tables, were a handful of Poe's friends, and his worst personal enemy.

He had only seen Kylo Ren's face once, from a distance, though a set of binoculars, but he recognized him. It was the first time Poe could remember seeing him wear anything other than black and do anything other than threaten, intimidate, attack, or torture. The man wore what looked like a mismatched Resistance uniform. He sat hunched forward with his forearms resting on his knees, talking with Finn, who he had once grievously wounded, and Rey, who he had abducted and tortured.

Rey sat closest to him, looking at him with a gentle expression, sympathetic and reflective. As Poe watched, she put her hand on Kylo Ren's shoulder, as though comforting him. Finn listened with his arms crossed, his face neutral, neither hard nor soft. Even Rose Tico, who was so proud of her martyred sister and righteous about the Resistance's cause, seemed to be listening politely. R2-D2 and C-3PO stood off to the side a bit, alternately listening to the humans' dialogue and holding their own side conversations.

After observing for a moment, BB-8 whirred into the room and approached the droids, beeping in curiosity. Its arrival caught Kylo Ren's attention. He frowned, then gaped, and then looked at Rey. "Is that—"

"The droid you were looking for?" Rey said with a smile. "Yeah, it is. BB-8, meet Ben."

_Ben_. She said the name as if it was the only one he had ever used.

It was too much for Poe to handle. He turned on his heel and walked away from the mess hall, and then out of the base.

He briefed the pilots in his squadron as they arrived, but did not bother trying to hide his disbelief and contempt. They shared his shock and confusion, but they seemed to get over it fairly quickly, accepting the bizarreness of the situation and cheering up at the prospect of a party. They had not had much to celebrate since the battle of Crait.

"I don't believe it." Poe kept repeating this declaration to himself and to everyone he interacted with as he hung around outside, watching people celebrate and hearing them talk in such positive tones about Kylo Ren's defection and Ben Solo's return.

Finally, while his pilots were keeping him company outside, Jess Pava put the brakes on his repetition: "Why?"

"What?" Poe said blankly.

"Why don't you believe it?"

This question made Poe even more incredulous and indignant, when he had thought he could not be any more so. The answer was so obvious that it took him a few moments to articulate it: "Because it's not right! It's not fair!"

"Not fair to who?"

"Him, the Resistance, every person he hurt or killed! We should be holding a trial, not a party!"

Snap sipped his Corellian wine thoughtfully and before speaking up. "Trial's a valid idea. But we _do_ have something to celebrate: the First Order lost their best man."

Someone else came outside then. "Hey, Poe!" It was Finn. "The general wants you."

"What for?"

"She's introducing Ren—er, _Ben_, to everyone on base." Finn made an odd face when he said the man's given name.

"We've met before. She knows that."

"Yeah, well." Finn shrugged. "She just told me to get you."

"Well, better not cross her," Jess said, patting Poe on the shoulder. She and the other pilots headed back inside.

Poe turned to the messenger. "Finn, how can you be comfortable with this?"

"I'm not," Finn answered. "Believe me. I've known the guy longer than you, and I saw what he did on Jakku. And Starkiller. And Crait."

"Then why haven't you done anything about it?" Poe demanded.

Finn sighed, looking away in embarrassment. "Rey guilt tripped me, and Rose backed her up. I used to be a Stormtrooper, remember?"

"So?"

"So, I kind of know where he's coming from. I can't hold his past against him, when everyone let it go for me."

Poe scoffed. "You were completely different. You proved yourself over and over—"

"Poe, I wasn't always honest, and I didn't always help. When I did, those first few times, it was for my own interests."

"And that could be the case for him! We're getting stronger and the First Order's getting weaker. If he's not here to spy on us or feed false information, he might just be switching sides to save his own skin."

"I know. I think that was the main reason. But the general's just happy he's come back at all."

Whatever respect Poe had felt for Leia Organa suddenly seemed questionable. Maybe she wasn't the wise and just leader he had taken her to be. As a mother, how could she welcome her son back after he had hurt her so much, after he had destroyed their family? As a general, how could she allow a murderer into her military organization? How could she be so in denial? How could she treat him as though he had done nothing wrong?

Eventually everyone seemed to give up on trying to interact with Poe. He just sat and stewed. He wondered whether he would be allowed to muster out. If Kylo Ren was going to be operating as a member of the Resistance, Poe did not think he would be able to stand it. Especially if the Skywalker-Solo heir worked as a pilot …

"Poe?"

It was Leia. Poe stood up, more out of habit than politeness. "General Organa."

"I asked for you. Why aren't you inside?"

He glared at her. "You can't guess?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd be afraid."

"I'm not _afraid_, I'm—" Poe could hardly put it into words. "I just can't believe you would do this to us."

She looked evenly at him. "To you?"

The anger that had been simmering inside him finally burst out. "You knew my parents during the Rebellion. I remember you coming to my mother's funeral. She never liked to talk about the war. It was years before I learned about everything she did. I joined the Resistance to protect what you and my parents helped build. _He_ spent even longer trying to tear down everything you built!"

Leia said nothing, just stood quietly and let him continue, rising in volume.

"I've served under you for years now. I've risked my life for the Resistance so many times I've lost count. I was captured and tortured—by the man you're celebrating in there—and you never gave me so much as a can of blue milk to share with my friends. But this traitor comes home, after everything he's done—to you, me, your family, the Church of the Force, the whole Resistance, not to mention the rest of the galaxy—tearing down everything your generation built—and you break open the Corellian wine for him. Even if you think he's trustworthy, how can you possibly justify giving him all this?" Poe gestured at the scene inside.

The look Leia gave him was one of pity as well as reproach. "Poe, you've been with me for years now. You're one of the few people I can act like a mother to. Ben and I have been apart for years, even before he turned. I've been waiting and hoping for him to come back to the light. Rey has been waiting, too, ever since she realized it was possible. We had to do something to celebrate now that he has."

Poe studied her. "How do you know he's not manipulating you?"

"It's a Force-sensitive thing. Rey knows his mind, and I know his heart. He's not here to hurt us."

"With all due respect, General, are you sure you can be objective about him? Are you sure your feelings aren't clouding your judgment?"

Leia's expression turned sad. "I know I'm not being objective." That surprised Poe enough to make him listen. "You weren't there when we found out Ben had turned. I had never been so angry. And you know I've had plenty of reasons to be angry in my life. It was my anger that made him and Luke stay away. Ben thought I wouldn't believe his side of the story. I couldn't shut him out now."

There did not seem to be anything Poe could say to that. But Leia seemed to sense his undying resentment. Her voice became a little sharper. "If you really feel like this is unjust, Poe, I want to remind you of something. You should have been court-martialed for mutiny after what you did on the _Raddus_."

Poe immediately stiffened. They had hardly spoken about that debacle since it happened. At the time, there had simply been so time for a trial. Of course it had not been forgotten, but Poe had hoped it was all forgiven.

"You've proven yourself a liability. So have Finn and Rose. Dozens of people died because you three didn't trust my judgment. But I let you keep your position and take on more responsibilities. You need to accept when mercy is shown to others too."

Poe stared at her, then bowed his head, feeling humbled for the first time that night. A long moment of silence passed before he felt able to speak. "What would you have me do?"

"For one thing, don't sit out here like a hermit. Come inside, have some food, and say hello to my son." When Poe did not move, Leia added sternly, "That's an order from your commander."

Poe steeled himself before accompanying her inside. Leia led him back to the mess hall, through clusters of soldiers and allies, until they reached a cluster including Rey, Rose, and Kylo Ren. A hush fell over them when Leia approached, leading her best pilot by the arm. Her son became still when he recognized Poe.

"Ben?" Leia gestured to him, and then to the pilot. "I believe you've met Commander Poe Dameron."

The two men looked at each other, not so subtly sizing each other up. Their friends watched uncertainly, wondering how either of them would react to the other.

There was only one way Poe could think of to break the silence. "So who talks first?"

"You just did," Ben Solo pointed out.

Poe grunted. He held up a finger and pointed at the other man. "I don't like you. I don't trust you. But I won't kill you." He lowered his hand and held it out.

The corner of Ben Solo's mouth curled ever so slightly. "The feeling's mutual." With that he shook the Resistance pilot's hand.

Rey glanced at Rose, and then at Leia. "Well, that's a start," she said hopefully.

* * *

Author's Notes

In case you didn't catch on, this piece is based on two of Jesus' parables, the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) and the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). I do not expect Ben Solo's redemption to play out this way in _The Rise of Skywalker_, but I do suspect Poe's reaction, if shown, will be like that of the unforgiving debtor and the son who stayed with his father.

I wanted to post this today, in order to announce something else Star Wars related: I wrote an article, which has now been published on Catholic Exchange, comparing Leia and Rey to St. Monica and Ben/Kylo to St. Augustine. The parallels between their stories are uncanny! The title is "Where You Are, He Is: Leia, Rey, and St. Monica."


End file.
